If you have a Twitter account or a Facebook, then you’ve heard that A&E has put Phil Robertson of their hit TV show Duck Dynasty on a “hiatus” from filming for an undetermined amount of time because of some remarks he made about his beliefs. In GQ magazine, Phil quoted scripture about homosexuals and a slew of other sinners have no inheritance in the kingdom of heaven... a.k.a. they’re going to hell unless they change their ways. He also made some lighthearted remarks about why a woman’s vagina is more desirable than an man’s anus (probably the most interesting part of the interview). This certainly upset the highly sensitive American public because “gay rights” is such a hot topic. Phil also mentioned how, from his personal experience and observation, blacks seemed more happy back in the Jim Crow Law days. Surprisingly that hasn’t been a huge issue for him yet so I’m not going to waste my valuable time discussing it.
Battle lines have been drawn on this issue and it’s getting hot. Supporters of Phil and his Duck Commander brethren are yelling about free speech and first amendment rights. Supporters of A&E and gay rights are yelling about equal rights, ignorance, and bigotry. Here’s what I find funniest about it all, though. Phil has been called a racist, a bigot, ignorant, and more. British journalist and TV show host, Piers Morgan, tweeted about Phil that “He’s a victim of his own repulsively racist, homophobic bigotry.” That is much more hateful than anything Phil said about gays. But I don’t see CNN putting Piers on any kind of “hiatus” for his hateful language. Calling Christians “bigots” is just as bad as calling gays “fags.” Name-calling in general is just immature so adults should quit it.
Here’s what Phil’s suspension really boils down to: money. Phil is a champion of traditional marriage and A&E is a self proclaimed champion of LGBT rights but both Phil and A&E are champions of making money. Duck Dynasty has filmed its 4th season so I predict that this hiatus lasts about as long as they wait before they start filming season 5... if the Robertson family continues to work with A&E after this debacle. A&E better hope that they haven’t upset the cash cow that is the Robertson family because Duck Dynasty is their highest rated show... the highest rated non-fiction show in the history of television. The Robertsons will make their money no matter what (their company was a multi-million dollar company before the show).
The loser in this is A&E. People aren’t going to tune into more shows on A&E just because they took a hard stand against Phil. Also A&E looks stupid because they hired Phil and his family knowing full well that they are a christian family... they pray at the end of every episode for goodness sake! What did A&E think was going to happen when a magazine like GQ interviews one of them? The winner is GQ magazine. When this issue comes out they will fly off the shelves like tube socks at a nursing home.
I just don’t see why everyone can’t just put differences of beliefs aside so they can continue to use each other to make tons of money. That’s how grown ups do things.
That’s it for now...
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